Turn with me, if you would, back
to Psalm 139, and while you're turning there, I'll tell you,
I failed to put it in the bulletin, that Brother Darwin Pruitt, who
is the pastor of Grace Baptist Church in Louisburg, is it Louisville? Arkansas, and Cindy's father,
he'll be with us Wednesday night. If you would like to be here,
I'm sure it'll be a great blessing. Psalm 139, let's read verses
23 and 24 again. David said, Search me, O God, and know my heart. Try me and know my thoughts and
see if there be any wicked way in me and lead me in the way
everlasting. Can you relate to that man? Can you relate to his cry? Search me, oh God, and know my
heart. Try me and know my thoughts and
see if there be any wicked way in me and lead me in the way
everlasting." I want to focus for just a moment on that last
line, that very last line. He said at the end of verse 24,
lead me in the way everlasting. Lead me in the way everlasting.
That's the title of our message. The way everlasting. That's what David asked for.
That was his request. Lead me in the way everlasting. There are so many ways that man
has come up with for himself. There are so many ways. And my heart breaks for men and
women. I want to be as just honest and
sincere with you as I can be. My heart breaks for men and women. And I don't say that in an arrogant
way. I don't say that boastfully,
but for the grace of God, we would all be in our own way right
now. But for God's grace, we would
be in our own way. Because that's what man does.
That's what the flesh of man does. Man arrogantly thinks he's
right. You're wrong and I'm right. That's
what we do in everything. Doesn't matter what it is. Well,
let me tell you what I think. So man has a way, there are just
so many ways that mankind has come up with for life, for this
life. And in man's own mind for eternity,
for the life that is to come. But David said at the end of
this Psalm, And all of God's people say this with David. All
of us say this same thing. This is what David was saying
right here. He said, I don't want any of those ways. I don't
want any of them. I don't want any of the artificial insufficient ways that man has
come up with. And there's a very critical reason
why. A very critical reason why. Look
with me if you would at Proverbs chapter 14. Proverbs 14 verse
12, it says, There is a way which seemeth
right unto a man, but the end thereof are the ways of death. There is a way that seems right
to a man, he's convinced, or a woman, she's convinced. Convinced,
if I could say anything to men and women right now, it would
be don't trust yourself, trust the Lord. Don't believe yourself,
believe the Lord. Like we just heard, count everything
you knew and have done and all that stuff, dunk, and look to
this right here, whatever this says. Because there is a way that seems
so right to a man. Man just picks out a way and
he hangs his soul on that way for eternal salvation. He hangs
his soul on that way. And man in his blindness will
look at what God says concerning the way and he'll say, well,
I don't want to see that. I don't want to believe that. I don't
need to know that. I have my own way. And all of those ways, all of
those man-made ways that man latches onto and looks to and
hopes in, they all lead to destruction. Solomon, who wrote, who penned
Proverbs here, the wisest man on this earth, under the inspiration
of God, he said, be warned, be warned. There is a way which
seemeth right unto a man, but the end thereof are the ways
of death. If it's not the way that God
has recorded in his word, it's always death. Always the way
of man. always leads to death. Always. It never leads to life. Our Lord
Himself warned us of that. Look with me, if you would, at
Matthew chapter 7. Matthew chapter seven, verse
13 says, enter ye in at the straight gate for wide is the gate and
broad is the way that leadeth to destruction and many there
be which go in there at because straight is the gate and narrow
is the way which leadeth unto life and few there be that find
it. That's a, that's a shocking portion
of scripture. There is a broad way that masses
of people are going down. Masses of people. Why do men and women so desperately
want to go the broad way? It leads to destruction. Why do men and women want to
go that broad way? What is the broad way? It's the
way of man. It's the way of man. It's the
will of man. We were driving back from vacation
and I passed church after church after church. We went through
three states. and I cannot tell you how many
church signs I saw that said Free Will Baptist Church. I can't tell you how many signs.
Every time I saw one, that name, it doesn't really matter what
a man or a congregation puts on their sign, if it's not The
preaching and the teaching and the holding to the word of God,
it's all destruction. But that name that's, that's
a boy, that's a free will man's free will Baptist
church. And every time I saw one, I thought,
bless their hearts. I was thinking about these poor
men and women who show up in their Sunday best. And my heart broke for him. Honestly,
I saw, I have this one in my brain, I saw this one, Free Will
Baptist Church, and I thought, I wish so desperately that they
could hear the message of God's will. I wish so desperately that
God would send a man in there to boldly, lovingly, declare
the message of God's will to them, and I wish they could hear
it, and I wish they would receive it with broken hearts, and I
wish they would run out into the yard of that building and
change that sign to God's will Baptist Church. That's what sovereign
grace means, God's will. The way of man is the will of
man. The way of man is the work of
man. The salvation that's at the hands
of man himself. That is what our Lord is referring
to when he says the broad way, the way of man. Our Lord said
that way leads to destruction. Every way that is not the way, It leads to destruction. David said, Lord, lead me in
the way. There's only one. There's not
another gospel is there. There's only one. There's not
another way. There's only one. Every other
way that is not the way is destruction. So all of God's people say with
David, Lord, lead us. away from those ways and lead us into the way everlasting. Lead us into the way of life.
We want the way of life. Jeremiah said, ask for the old
paths. All the paths of the Lord lead
to one way. All the paths of the Lord lead
to one way. Jeremiah said, ask for the old
paths Where is the good way? And you'll find rest for your
soul. Ask for the old path. Psalm 23
calls it the path of righteousness. It's a person, the Lord Jesus
Christ. Not the new path of man's works
and man's way, the old path. that has foundations, the path
that is built on, the path that consists of, the path that leads
to the very righteousness of the Lord Jesus Christ Himself.
Bring me to Him. Bring me to Him. I've told you before what a very
dear brother named Bob Poncer said to brother Larry Chris one
time just before he stood up to preach. Brother Bob leaned
up and he said, Brother Larry, do you have something new and
stale or old and fresh for us today? Give me the old paths. There's
only one way that leads to everlasting life. And David said, Lord, I
desperately want that way. I say that this morning. I believe
you say that this morning. Lord, I desperately want that
way. Please lead me to, lead me in
that way. Lead us in the way everlasting.
What is the way everlasting? What is the only way that there
is? What is the way? If the Lord leads us in that
way, where will we end up? If the Lord leads us to that
way, where will we end up? Turn with me over to John 14. John 14, verse six, Jesus said
unto him, I am the way, the truth and the life. No man cometh unto
the father, but by me. If life everlasting is going
to come to us, we're going to have to be led to the Lord Jesus
Christ. We're going to have to be led
to the Lord Jesus Christ. He is the way. He is the only way. Man's ways
are all going to burn up with the men and women who trust in
their own ways. They're going to come to nothing,
but the way of the Lord Jesus Christ is life everlasting. He is the way, He is the truth,
He is the life. He that hath the Son hath life.
And he that hath not the Son of God, the wrath of God abides
on him. Peter gave us a good example
of what is not the way. At the end of verse 13, if you
look at the end of John 13, he had his own way right here that
he'd come up with. John 13, verse 36, Simon Peter
said unto him, Lord, whither goest thou? Jesus answered him,
whither I go, thou canst not follow me now, but thou shalt
follow me afterwards. Peter said unto him, Lord, why
cannot I follow thee now? I will lay down my life for thy
sake. Two things wrong with that. Number
one, Peter said the word I just a few too many times. I, I, I. But listen to what he
said. This was his way, his way of
life and survival. He said, I will lay down my life
for thy sake. Is that not man's way? Is that
not the way of man? I'll lay down my life for thy
sake. Verse 38, Jesus answered him,
wilt thou lay down thy life for my sake? Verily, verily, I say
unto thee, the cock shall not crow till thou hast denied me
thrice." The Lord said, Peter, that way leads to destruction.
Peter, you're going to fall. You hold to that way, you're
going to fall. You won't stand. But he said
in chapter 14, verse 1, I absolutely love these two verses back to
back. The translators of this Bible
put chapter 14 in there. This was not written with chapter
14 in there. These two verses were written
back to back. All right. John 13 verse 38, Jesus answered
him, wilt thou lay down thy life for my sake? Verily, verily,
I say unto thee, the cock shall not crow till thou hast denied
me thrice. Let not your heart be troubled. You believe in God, believe also
in me. Don't worry, I'm not going to
let you look to yourself, Peter. I'm not going to allow you to
follow the way of man. I'm going to lead you. I'm going
to lay hold of you. And I'm going to put you in my
way. Let not your heart be troubled.
Peter, I've had mercy on you. in spite of your bent desire
for your own way. And that's what this flesh has,
a bent desire for its own way. But God says to each one of his
people, like he said to Peter, I've laid hold of you. I've already
apprehended you. And I've led you and put you
in the way everlasting, in my way, the way of my life, Peter,
not yours. He is our life. He is our life. The way of my work, Peter, not
yours. He is our work. Well, don't you need to let your
good works show before God? Yes, they do. Christ is my good
works. He said the way of my righteousness,
Peter, not yours. My goodness, my perfection. The
way of my death, Peter, so it won't be yours. I gave my blood at my willing
hand, Peter, so yours won't be required of you." That's Christ's
way. That's the only way that's everlasting. That is the only way. The only
way. Once Peter realized that, he
said, Lord, lead me to you. That has to be revealed. A man
on his own, he cannot realize the way of God, the way of Christ. That has to be revealed to him.
The Lord himself has to reveal that. And once it's revealed,
God's people say, I submit to that way gladly. The Lord was
washing their feet one time and he came to Peter and Peter said,
you're not going to wash my feet. And the Lord said, if I don't
wash your feet, you have no part with me. He said, wash me head
to toe. Wash all of me. Lead me to you, lead me to you. I pray that every soul here will
say, Lord, lead me to you. I would strongly encourage us
in our hearts, silently with sincerity to say, Lord, lead
me to you. Whether I realize how badly I
need to be led to you or not, lead me to you. Lead me to you. Lead me. Lead me. Lead me. That means don't just tell me
how to get there. Be with me. Don't forsake me. Don't you want the Lord to be
with you? take my hand and lead me. He
leadeth me, O blessed thought, O words with heavenly comfort
wrought, whate'er I do, where'er I be, still. And that word still
says to me that I'm doing something I shouldn't be doing, and I'm
somewhere I shouldn't be, but still God's hand will lead me
in spite of me. The way of our Lord led us to
deliverance. Deliverance, not determination
to do better and to try harder to stop sinning and all that.
Deliverance. The way of the Lord leads his
people to deliverance. The way of our Lord led us to
redemption. Think about what the word redemption
means. Redemption. Not probation. Redemption, full redemption. The way of our Lord led us to
justice and judgment. And the reason is because it
led us to the cross. The way everlasting was the way
of the cross. We were led that way in the Lord
Jesus Christ. We were led that way with the
Lord Jesus Christ. I am crucified with Christ. Nevertheless,
I live. It was death that led us to life. His death, our life. The way
of our Lord led us to holiness. Boy, how wonderful is that? purity,
perfection in Him. He loved us and washed us from
our sins in His own blood. The way of our Lord led us to
glory. Led us to glory. And even though
we physically haven't laid eyes on it yet, we have an eternal
inheritance waiting for us in Him. Look at chapter 14 here,
John 14 verse 1, the Lord said, let not your heart be troubled.
You believe in God, believe also in me. In my father's house are
many mansions. If it were not so, I would have
told you. I go to prepare a place for you,
and if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and
receive you unto myself, that where I am, there you may be
also. And whither I go, you know, and
the way you know. Thomas saith unto him, Lord,
we know not whither thou goest, and how can we know the way?
Jesus saith unto him, I am the way, the truth and the life. No man cometh unto the Father,
but by me. The only way that a soul can
come to the Father is by, through, in the way of the Lord Jesus
Christ. That's the only way that a soul
can come. And in Christ, there is no possible
way that a soul cannot come. The only way a soul can come
is in Him. And in Him, there's no way a
soul can't come. No way. There's no way that a
soul cannot be led to the Father. The only way to have life is
in the death that Christ accomplished for His people. And in that death,
that He accomplished and gave to His people. There's no way
that they cannot have life. No possible way. They must obtain
life. It's Christ that died. Yea, rather
that is risen again and is seated at the right hand of God. That
means the seat of honor, the seat of authority, the one who
came with the will in his heart to do this for his people, and
did it for his people, is the one who is seated on the throne
now with all authority, saying what happens to... They must have life. Our Lord
said over in John 10, turn with me over there to John chapter
10, verse 14, He said, I am the good shepherd,
and know my sheep, and am known of mine. As the Father knoweth
me, even so know I the Father, and I lay down my life for the
sheep. And other sheep I have which
are not of this fold, them also I must bring, must. And they shall hear my voice,
And there shall be one fold and one shepherd. Therefore, doth
my father love me because I lay down my life that I may take
it again. No man taketh it from me, but
I lay it down of myself. I have power to lay it down and
I have power to take it again. This commandment have I received
of my father. He said, I'm the one who must
do it all. Verse 27, he said, my sheep hear
my voice, and I know them, and they follow me, and I give unto
them eternal life, and they shall never perish, neither shall any
man pluck them out of my hand. Never, never. What do we say
to that? What's our response to that? Savior, like a shepherd, lead
us. Much we need thy tender care.
In thy pleasant pastures feed us, for our use thy folds prepare. Blessed Jesus, blessed Jesus,
thou hast bought us, thine we are. Blessed Jesus, blessed Jesus,
thou hast bought us, thine we are. Make straight the way of
the Lord. Search us, O God, and know our
hearts. Try us and know our thoughts,
and see if there be any wicked way in us, and lead us in the
way everlasting. That means whatever it is that
we are, do with it whatever needs to be done, and conform us to
the image of our Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ. We are thine,
do thou befriend us, be the guardian of our way. Keep thy flock from
sin, defend us, reel us back in every time we go astray. The way that our Lord and Savior
Jesus Christ secured for us when He gave His life to put away
our sin, if He leads us in that way, we will be led. Lord, if
you do it, it'll be done. If he leads us, we will be led
in the way everlasting. So, may every soul here, I want
every soul here, I want the young people here to realize and say, Lord, you
are the way. I want the young people here
I want us old people here to say it too, but I want the young
people here to say, Lord, you are the way. You are the way. I want us to sincerely say, lead
us to you. Lead us to you. If you do, we'll
find life, life more abundant. All right, Brother Eddie, you
come.